2025 Aston Martin | Aramco F1 Team

[diffuser]

I have a feeling that Aston Martin is pushing for a younger driver (all the rumours of a LeClerc option), and that Alonso is not being given a choice to retire on his own terms, which makes me upset because I do not seeing Aston Martin being competitive in 2026 but much better in 2027.

You're upset about a rumor about Alonso being forced to retire ? Do yourself a favor and stop reading BS rumors. When Alonso is ready to retire he will tell us. If it is cause the team doesn't want him back he will say that too.


As for Honda, I can't see them being anything less #2 next year.

EVEN if they are down on power next year, it would be hard to know if it is the actual PU or if the FUEL is low on energy. Cause if the fuel is low on energy they will have to carry more fuel, which will make them slower with lower power to boot.

They are not BS if they come from reputable sources. I wish the LeClerc rumours were all baseless speculation.

They are all bs until they come from the horse's mouth. It's been a long tough year, Fernando's probably tired and down. A month from now that will likely change, if the year starts with promise... who knows. That being said, it isn't a stretch to say Alonso's might retire at the end of the last year of his contract at age 45! It's just BS news. Like seriously?

[peewon]

Cristobal Rosaleny:

"At the Abu Dhabi paddock, one of the things that came up most is that the 2026 Aston Martin is scary—they think the car is good."

SoyMotor

If true, think this is probably based on aero figures from wind tunnel testing and simulation. The real concern has always been Honda PU.

[zoroastar]

To be realistic:

- I think Newey and Honda will do good.
- BUT, it may take some more time, and not be ready for 26' early season.

I mean, next year I want to see podiums, and wins, and progress all the season.
Maybe the championship is not realistic, but more for 27'

It will be very open and change quickly with those new cars, so we need to be on the top 3 team as soon as the season open and then push hard.

If there are no wins then it will be a failed season

I agree with the first paragraph but I am not sure we'll see podiums next year. I would only consider it a failed season if we don’t improve from this year. Also, we'll fall behind on the PU reliability perspective in 2027 simply cause Honda supplies only 1 team.

with every team building all new cars, and us having the greatest car designer in history, it will be incredibly dissapointing if we cant get a podium haha. its true that newey cant do everything, but he can definitely be guiding everybody in the right direction. the only thing that will keep us from fighting for podiums is a weak power unit, imo.

[zoroastar]

Cristobal Rosaleny:

"At the Abu Dhabi paddock, one of the things that came up most is that the 2026 Aston Martin is scary—they think the car is good."

SoyMotor

If true, think this is probably based on aero figures from wind tunnel testing and simulation. The real concern has always been Honda PU.

yeah there are a lot of people insinuating that they are nervous about the PU. but its hard to tell if thats honda struggling to meet timelines, other people misinterpreting and exagerating the level of their difficulties, or if they are truely going to come with a bad PU. from past experience, it seems like the first 2 options are most likely. i think there may be a pretty good chance that they wont be completely ready for the first test though. there seems to be a lot of smoke.

[madridista]

https://www.astonmartinf1.com/en-GB/new ... e-undercut

Koji Watanabe:

"Efficiency is going to be the decisive factor in F1's new era, and at Honda, we take pride in having the world’s most advanced battery technology. It's going to be important to leverage this strength while also enhancing our energy management performance.

"I'm confident we’re going to deal well with these challenges. Honda has been accumulating experience in F1 since 1964, and we’re confident that, working together with Aston Martin Aramco as one team, we can be very competitive in F1’s new era."

..."It's very important to take a long-term view of this. Our relationship with Aston Martin Aramco is going beyond a technical collaboration – we are sharing a common vision. There is a lot of passion in the team at the AMR Technology Campus, but also a great deal of quality. Pair that with Honda’s development skills and ability to provide winning power units, and we have the potential to be successful in F1, not just in 2026, but also '27, '28 and beyond.

"We are on the eve of something very special."

[diffuser]

To be realistic:

- I think Newey and Honda will do good.
- BUT, it may take some more time, and not be ready for 26' early season.

I mean, next year I want to see podiums, and wins, and progress all the season.
Maybe the championship is not realistic, but more for 27'

It will be very open and change quickly with those new cars, so we need to be on the top 3 team as soon as the season open and then push hard.

If there are no wins then it will be a failed season

I agree with the first paragraph but I am not sure we'll see podiums next year. I would only consider it a failed season if we don’t improve from this year. Also, we'll fall behind on the PU reliability perspective in 2027 simply cause Honda supplies only 1 team.

with every team building all new cars, and us having the greatest car designer in history, it will be incredibly dissapointing if we cant get a podium haha. its true that newey cant do everything, but he can definitely be guiding everybody in the right direction. the only thing that will keep us from fighting for podiums is a weak power unit, imo.

Look at RBR's history to set your expectations. How many season did it take RBR to start having regular podiums after Newey joined? In both places, the first thing he did was fire 5-10 people the first year. There are things like the factory that are ahead at AMR, Still, the tools are lacking in Newey's opinion. I'm not saying it will not happen. I'm saying I am hopeful but uncertain. More likely expectation for podiums would be for 2027.

[Waz]

There was a lot different 20 years ago. Field spread was huge, the top 2 teams had a very clear gap to the rest, and Red Bull had Webber and Coulthard, who were both good but never great. Oh, and a weak Renault engine.

I honestly think they can fight for wins next year. The big question mark is the track side team.

[Otromundo]

I see several issues that need to be resolved .../... the next gearbox will be from AM, which could be another source of problems or a blessing.
.../...

Its one part I'd not have particular concern about, in comparison to the other parts. The gearbox (gears, cassette, differential etc) are very well known and with manufacture in common for many component via specialised supply chain outside the team capability.
The "case" outer and functional part of chassis, rear suspension system, integration and dynamic performance, is the area that Newey acknowledged as his primary contribution in RB for this era of design (current, finishing) which should have good overview of this new AM transmission set. I feel there can be quite confidence in this part of build. .../...

Thanks, one of the things that struck me most about McL was that from the beginning they opted for their own gearbox, unlike MB-AM-Williams, which shared one. So I always considered the gearbox suspicious. I thought its custom manufacturing was much more complex.

[quincalla]

Carlos Miquel wrote an article (here, behind a registration wall) where he explains why he thinks that 2026 might be the final year for Fernando in F1.
It's just him reading in between the lines of some things Fernando has said recently, the most notable being that for a segment for Spanish tv where he was asked to "ask a question to 2026" (as in, the year), he said "I'd ask [it] if it's gonna be my final year." Carlos also mentions "some details that he can't make public", which I guess refers to the pregnancy.
He also says that Fernando told some friends in '23 that '24 would be his last season, then obviously changed his mind.
Additionally engine-wise, he said Mercedes are the only ones boasting about having solved their engine reliability issues.

He also posted his podcast, I'll listen to it tomorrow and post the more interesting bits here.

[peewon]

Cristobal Rosaleny:

"At the Abu Dhabi paddock, one of the things that came up most is that the 2026 Aston Martin is scary—they think the car is good."

SoyMotor

If true, think this is probably based on aero figures from wind tunnel testing and simulation. The real concern has always been Honda PU.

yeah there are a lot of people insinuating that they are nervous about the PU. but its hard to tell if thats honda struggling to meet timelines, other people misinterpreting and exagerating the level of their difficulties, or if they are truely going to come with a bad PU. from past experience, it seems like the first 2 options are most likely. i think there may be a pretty good chance that they wont be completely ready for the first test though. there seems to be a lot of smoke.

If I were to guess, my guess would be that they wont be too far off in terms of performance (10-15 HP below Merc) but due to reliability concerns would have to run at lower modes to start the season. I would be surprised if they are competitive with Mercedes at any point this season. The other key area where I suspect Mercedes may have something "clever" is regen. If you can recharge your batteries fully driving around a lap normally, youd be unbeatable.

[madridista]

I see several issues that need to be resolved .../... the next gearbox will be from AM, which could be another source of problems or a blessing.
.../...

Its one part I'd not have particular concern about, in comparison to the other parts. The gearbox (gears, cassette, differential etc) are very well known and with manufacture in common for many component via specialised supply chain outside the team capability.
The "case" outer and functional part of chassis, rear suspension system, integration and dynamic performance, is the area that Newey acknowledged as his primary contribution in RB for this era of design (current, finishing) which should have good overview of this new AM transmission set. I feel there can be quite confidence in this part of build. .../...

Thanks, one of the things that struck me most about McL was that from the beginning they opted for their own gearbox, unlike MB-AM-Williams, which shared one. So I always considered the gearbox suspicious. I thought its custom manufacturing was much more complex.

Earlier this year (january), AM hired a senior transmission engineer from Mercedes:

Stuart Boulton Senior Transmission Design Engineer (Mercedes) -> Head of Transmission (Aston Martin).

he has 11 years of combined experience of working on Mercedes and Redbull transmissions.

[diffuser]

Its one part I'd not have particular concern about, in comparison to the other parts. The gearbox (gears, cassette, differential etc) are very well known and with manufacture in common for many component via specialised supply chain outside the team capability.
The "case" outer and functional part of chassis, rear suspension system, integration and dynamic performance, is the area that Newey acknowledged as his primary contribution in RB for this era of design (current, finishing) which should have good overview of this new AM transmission set. I feel there can be quite confidence in this part of build. .../...

Thanks, one of the things that struck me most about McL was that from the beginning they opted for their own gearbox, unlike MB-AM-Williams, which shared one. So I always considered the gearbox suspicious. I thought its custom manufacturing was much more complex.

Earlier this year (january), AM hired a senior transmission engineer from Mercedes:

Stuart Boulton Senior Transmission Design Engineer (Mercedes) -> Head of Transmission (Aston Martin).

he has 11 years of combined experience of working on Mercedes and Redbull transmissions.

Like someone already noted here, everybody design's there gearbox but nobody builds it. Everyone out sources it. Youtuber driver61 did an video on it.

[Farnborough]

I was just searching for that link



A lucid overview of reasonably current arrangement. They aren't in reality that complex inside and eith most component fairly common in their concept if not finite detail.

[madridista]

Thanks, one of the things that struck me most about McL was that from the beginning they opted for their own gearbox, unlike MB-AM-Williams, which shared one. So I always considered the gearbox suspicious. I thought its custom manufacturing was much more complex.

Earlier this year (january), AM hired a senior transmission engineer from Mercedes:

Stuart Boulton Senior Transmission Design Engineer (Mercedes) -> Head of Transmission (Aston Martin).

he has 11 years of combined experience of working on Mercedes and Redbull transmissions.

Like someone already noted here, everybody design's there gearbox but nobody builds it. Everyone out sources it. Youtuber driver61 did an video on it.

AM previously used one designed by Mercedes, contrary to eg. Mclaren or other teams. No clue what you are trying to say.

[diffuser]

Earlier this year (january), AM hired a senior transmission engineer from Mercedes:

Stuart Boulton Senior Transmission Design Engineer (Mercedes) -> Head of Transmission (Aston Martin).

he has 11 years of combined experience of working on Mercedes and Redbull transmissions.

Like someone already noted here, everybody design's there gearbox but nobody builds it. Everyone out sources it. Youtuber driver61 did an video on it.

AM previously used one designed by Mercedes, contrary to eg. Mclaren or other teams. No clue what you are trying to say.

That making your own gearbox isn't a performance difference maker. It isn't hard for a F1 team to do really well.